Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the delegation. Many of us will have no concept of the impact of the ebola outbreak on so many people. It seems to be that to combat the disease there is a need to go against the natural human instinct to comfort a person in distress. For example, if someone is crying, the instinct is to go to them and put one's arms around them. The carers are dying because they are close to the victims.

I refer to the fear associated with this virus. I remember the attitude in Dublin to HIV-AIDS when those who died were being buried in sealed coffins. I remember the fear in communities at that time which I presume could be replicated a thousand times in the case of the ebola virus. People with HIV-AIDS said that they missed the close human contact when people would not hug them. In the case of HIV-AIDS we have moved beyond that attitude but the ebola virus terrifies people and they are looking to us to come up with solutions. Mr. Andrews has spoken about the recruitment programme. If young people are looking for role models they should not look at politicians or pop stars but instead they should look at the people volunteering to work on the ground to deal with this crisis.

Education is an important tool in the fight against this virus but I ask how can this be achieved in the countries dealing with the ebola virus where the infrastructure seems to have broken down. A representative of Médecins Sans Frontières explained that much of their work involved setting up incinerators to burn clothing as such facilities and structures had broken down or were non-existent. The United States is considering sending more than 3,000 troops to the region. Would such action be useful? Does MSF require the assistance of such a force to physically install treatment centres? Freetown has one treatment centre for 1 million people and it is reported that people have been turned away from the centre. Is this the case in many of the treatment centres? Victims are going home to be cared for by people who do not have protective equipment such as gloves and aprons and the virus is spread as a result.

How is the education programme delivered to the people? Are radio broadcasts used? Is terror spreading among the people in the way that people in Dublin were terrified by HIV-AIDS? I refer to Spanish and American health workers who have been transported back to their own countries for treatment. I ask how is this viewed by the local population. Do the local people think that these victims are being treated abroad with a secret cure and does it cause resentment? I refer to Cuba sending 62 doctors and 103 nurses to the affected region. How many people would be required for the Irish project?

Sierra Leone imposed a national lock-down to identify and isolate new cases of the virus and its 6 million population were confined in their homes over the weekend. The authorities declared the lock-down a success. Has the delegation any information on the success or otherwise of this lock-down? I ask the delegates to comment on the report that some NGOs criticised the lock-down saying that it destroys trust between patients and doctors. Is a lock-down an effective policy? The situation is similar in Nigeria. I refer to the heavy lifting which MSF was required to undertake. I apologise for asking so many questions.